POS0577-PARE EVALUATION OF PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH REMOTE SELF-INJECTION TRAINING: A SINGLE-CENTRE PATIENT-REPORTED SURVEY
Authors: S. Mccourt, M. Andiappan
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2023)

<h3>Background</h3> Subcutaneous self-injection of methotrexate (SC MTX) is used for the treatment of several inflammatory diseases. All newly initiated patients should be educated and trained in the proper injection technique by their healthcare provider (HCP), with the first injection performed under medical supervision. This training has typically been conducted during face-to-face consultations, however since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic it has been necessary to conduct training remotely due to the cancellation of clinics. <h3>Objectives</h3> To understand patient-reported experiences and satisfaction with remote SC MTX self-injection training. <h3>Methods</h3> A cross-sectional electronic survey was administered between 11 October 2022 and 30 November 2022 to patients at Southern Health and Social Care Trust who had recently been trained via telephone or video conference [VC] on how to self-inject methotrexate using a pre-filled, auto-injector pen. Patients were aged ≥18 with a range of arthritis types, including rheumatoid, psoriatic, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic and chronic reactive inflammatory arthritis. Remote training was delivered by the patient's nurse as per routine practice (independently of this survey). Patients were sent a patient information pack (PIP) prior to the training consultation. During the training, the nurse discussed the process of injecting with the auto-injector pen before virtually supervising the first injection. The survey consisted of 14 questions; topics included experiences and satisfaction with preparation for the HCP appointment, the training consultation itself and post-training experiences and preferences. The responses were analysed descriptively on an item-by-item basis. <h3>Results</h3> In total 73 patients completed the survey; 77% (n=56/73) were female, and 96% (n=70/73) had no prior experience with a SC MTX auto-injector pen. The training was completed by telephone for 92% (n=67/73) of patients and by VC for 8% (n=6/73). 99% (n=72/73) received a PIP in advance of their training consultation and 92% (n=67/73) received this by post. 67% (n=49/73) of patients strongly agreed and 26% (n=19/73) agreed that they felt prepared for the training after receiving the PIP; 78% (n=57/73) of patients strongly agreed and 22% (n=16/73) agreed that it was easy to read and understand, whilst 52% (n=38/73) strongly agreed and 32% (n=23/73) agreed that the PIP was helpful and did not require additional instructions before the appointment. 84% (n=61/73) took 15 minutes or less to complete the training with their HCP. None of the participants felt confused or did not understand the training instructions from their HCP, 78% (n=57/73) strongly agreed and 19% (n=14/73) agreed that the remote training was helpful and made them feel more confident to use the injector pen on their own and 97% (n=71/73) did not need to contact their HCP for more training or advice following their appointment. When asked about the main advantages of remote training, 32% (n=23/73) agreed it was more convenient, 25% (n=18/73) agreed that it was time saving and 30% (n=22/73) agreed that not having to attend the hospital was beneficial. 85% (n=62/73) strongly agreed and 14% (n=10/73) agreed that they were satisfied with the remote training provided and 82% (n=60/73) strongly agreed and 18% (n=13/73) agreed that they would recommend the remote training to another patient. <h3>Conclusion</h3> These findings provide new insight into patients' experiences with self-injection training when delivered remotely by their HCP. The patient information pack and training consultation were well received as most patients found it helpful, convenient and time saving. <h3>References:</h3> NIL. <h3>Acknowledgements</h3> This survey was funded by Nordic Pharma. Medical writing support was provided by Angie Bonsu of Open Health and funded by Nordic Pharma. <h3>Disclosure of Interests</h3> Shannon McCourt Grant/research support from: Nordic Pharma, Mano Andiappan Employee of: Open Health who were paid by Nordic Pharma to support the work described in the abstract.